Why is it that

"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
11/09/2014 at 20:04 • Filed to: None

Everyone is always breaking their VW/Audi product? seriously what are you people doing?

We have had our 2010 A3 TDI since new. The only thing to have ever gone wrong is that the EGR valve failed twice. once at 60k miles, once at 120k miles. car currently has 130K miles.

Our car is my dads daily and the roadtrip car (moms IS250 uses too much fuel), and I drove it around sometimes (not with the lightest of right feet either)
The tires (OEM and the snow set we bought from the dealer) have 5 years on them, and we are JUST replacing them (summer due to tread, winter due to age...marangonni tires friggen last man)

the motor and trans? nothing. still purrin' away like the day it was new.
body? nothing. not a hint of rust anywhere. Couple of scratches from the neighbors who cant drive (-.-") not its fine other wise...

hell, even the friggen wipers lasted 4 and half years...

oh wait (checks VIN and sees car was built in germany) Did the people who keep breaking have the mexican built cars? in which case...ouch.

pictures over our little digga after I dipped the grill and tinted tails, heads and fog lights

side note: holy crap, these are the only 2 pictures I have of this car on my computer....I need to get more.

DISCUSSION (36)

Sam > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:06

Because my VW/Audi product looks like this

Kinja'd!!!

Not exactly known for it's reliability.

jkm7680 > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:08

I'm guessing it's the Mexican built cars. My A4 was built in GERMANY. YAY.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:10

EGR valves aren't supposed to break that quickly...

bob and john > jkm7680
11/09/2014 at 20:11

IIRC, they actually part of the reason i got my dad to gfet an A3 rather then a golf. All A3's were built in germany. Golfs werent.

jkm7680 > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:12

Good reasoning, I wanted a German car. But I didn't want a German car made in Mexico.

bob and john > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
11/09/2014 at 20:12

I dont remember if it was broken, or just needed cleaning...it IS a TDI after all.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:13

Well we should hope a car can last a whole four+ years, yes? Unless you buy a [insert automaker for trolling purposes here]. Because then you're screwed.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:13

I daily drive a 2004 TDI with no problems. only issues were caused by incompetent techs.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:13

Built in Mexico. Need I say more?

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:13

Exactly! Meanwhile my JSW TDI has only had the hatch mechanism fail (at 40k miles) and minor clear coat issues and that is it! My car is apparently a unicorn is this sense...

Also, nearing 80k miles! WOOOOOO!

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:14

because it's an Audi, they drove it like this

You should too.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:15

Does a Toshiba robotic arm in Mexico have any less ability than a Toshiba robotic arm in Germany?

bob and john > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
11/09/2014 at 20:16

yea. AND our car lives through the canadian winters. seriously, I have no idea what 5-pot fan boy was doing to his car. Must have been made in mexico. I'm almost willing to bet money his was just a failed sensor or a disconnected wire

bob and john > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
11/09/2014 at 20:16

no, but the quality control in Germany is MUCH stricter then the QC in mexico.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:17

He drives it REALLY hard and it is made in Mexico.

bob and john > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
11/09/2014 at 20:19

our car hasnt exactly been babied...me and dad arent ashamed in sticking our foots in it every so often..ah well.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:23

But this is like every other day so that could be why. Or just a fluke. Who knows.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:24

He Silvestro's it . SO. FUCKING. HARD.

bob and john > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
11/09/2014 at 20:27

not to be a dick but,....then he wonders why shit breaks?

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:27

Can you prove it? I would imagine both factories fall under very stringent QC, if not more so in Mexico due to it's relative remoteness from the key demographic. Sorry, not trying to be a dick, just devils advocate! :)

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:30

It's probably the Mexican thing. I imagine the Germans back at HQ wince every time a report comes in because their efficiency can't exactly match the expansionist capability of the Thi- OK THAT WAS A WAR JOKE NVM.

At least that theory applies to the Touareg - that's built in Slovakia and we've got two family friends who've suffered some form of catastrophic mechanical failure with both their Touraegs.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:31

Exactly... I try to take care of my car though by not beating the shit out of it on a daily basis

bob and john > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
11/09/2014 at 20:31

I'm going off the way they work.
germans: VAT? DER IS UN SPECK OF DUST?!?! MIN GOTTEN, REBUILD ZA CAR!
mexicans: eeh, he doesnt need an air filter, right?

in all seriousness though, We have a friend who works for VW in the QC department. the germans check every 100th car for defects (a more intense check, bolts are tight, int doesnt rattle etc etc etc. more then just the once over at the end of the line)

the mexican factories are closer to every 350th car.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 20:35

Then that is close enough to proof, and I like it. My view of Mexico is through the Ami-tinted Ray Bans of South Park. Usually unfair, but in a way, exactly right.

I own dead car brands only > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
11/09/2014 at 20:47

I drive my Saab (not a VW i know) really hard (autocrossing, drag racing, corner carving, and pew pew pew on the streets) and all ive had to do was change brakes and tires and oil.

I guess my point is that i take care of the car and i dont get surprised if somethig does break.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > I own dead car brands only
11/09/2014 at 20:51

Pretty much the same here

Dsscats > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
11/09/2014 at 21:06

Yep, be willing to bet money his driving is part of the problem

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Dsscats
11/09/2014 at 21:12

Yeah. Its not surprising.

DasWauto > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 22:13

The Mk.7 is the first Golf to be built in Mexico, other than the Mk.6 Sportwagen, which sort of half counts, being sold as a Jetta in the states.

MilesVW > bob and john
11/09/2014 at 23:48

Ah hahahaha.

Yes this. I am DD a 96 Jetta (My ugh, 8th vw and 3rd MK3 Jetta), and this one just had some weird things done to it. I towed it home via a strap. the lines were switched on the fuel pump so the pressure went straight into a one-way valve, maybe 4 inches away, both marked with an arrow.

The bottom of the tank has patch on it, no leaks, so I haven't bothered with it.

Dead Catalytic converter, come to find that's probably because the bargain basement coil had swelled out of its plastic, impossible to see until removing the coil, also can't see the coil pulse without an oscilliscope, so only way to check coil is remove it. I didn't know this til it died on me a half hour from home in the middle of nowhere. It has an early metal case coil, more power and better fuel economy now.

Bizarre. Interior is pretty clean, of course I'm comparing it to the $200 purple 97 Jetta I bought with no rear door card and a medium sized chunk of interior door with a sketch of a demon head on it. Also the car had been run with one axle shaft disconnected from the trans to the local BK, where I had seen it sitting before my neighbor mentioned that her friend was selling a broken Jetta that "needed to be towed" (I don't want to know what they paid for that tow, I picked it up about a mile away from in front of their house) Needless to say it needed a new trans where the disconnected shaft had pummeled a hole in the trans case. Wow.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > bob and john
02/03/2015 at 22:47

Couldn't you just go bro truck on it and get an EGR Delete Kit for it?

bob and john > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
02/03/2015 at 22:48

I could and would.

if it were my car and it didnt need to pass emissions (canada remember)

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > bob and john
02/03/2015 at 22:52

Very good points. How strict is Canada as far as emissions go? Like California strict?

bob and john > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
02/03/2015 at 22:56

we have to do it every 2 years. and dad isnt a fan of puts parts and retuning just for emissions. so he keeps it stock.

thats his biggest issue. he is too lazy to retune/throw some parts back on once every 2 years. yea, I know. w/e.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > bob and john
02/03/2015 at 23:05

Yeah but I mean how strict are the tests themselves. I have a few friends here in illinois that manage to skate past emissions with egr delete kits

bob and john > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
02/03/2015 at 23:08

strict enough I'm assuming. Ive never actually checked, as bikes dont need to passimisions (hence why i can get away with this on my motorcycle)

Kinja'd!!!